Music for Greed: Live Soundtrack for von Stroheim's Silent Film at Cinema Massimo

At Cinema Massimo in Turin, the live soundtrack project 'Music for Greed' concluded the silent film series Histoire(s) du Cinéma, curated by Giaime Alonge, as part of the cultural program Torino Città del Cinema 2020. The event featured a live performance by an ensemble of Italian musicians including Stefano Pilia, Xabier Iriondo, Paolo Mongardi, Paolo Spaccamonti, Alessandro 'Asso' Stefana, and Luca T. Mai. They provided a new score for Eric von Stroheim's 1924 film 'Greed', based on Frank Norris's novel 'Mc Teague'. The film, originally 12 hours long, was cut to 130 minutes and is considered a mutilated masterpiece. Shot on location including Death Valley, it was produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer with a lavish budget. The film's brutal vision and lack of clear moral dichotomy were noted by Alonge as ahead of its time. The soundtrack blended jazz, noise, and post-rock elements, creating a cathartic experience.